Thread: Irritation after shaving moustache

About 2 months ago, I shaved my moustache of 32 years. Darned thing turned completely grey and became as unruly as my cat's whiskers. So, it was time for it to go.

Thereafter, I got some irritation from shaving my upper lip but that eased up after about a week. However, I'm still experiencing some slight irritation even 2 months later. I've monitored my technique and made some slight adjustments but to no avail. Still getting a little redness and burn.

I was wondering if anyone else had experienced something like this and how long I might expect to deal with it? Thoughts or comments?

I think there are several reasons that might be causing you the continued problem. Consider the fact that this area hasn't been shaved in a long time, and the skin is a bit more tender than the rest of your face. This coupled with the fact that you are probably putting to much pressure on the blade can cause a scraping irritation, especially if you are trying to get the hair removed in only one pass. This patch of hair, at least on me, is the most dense spot on my face. I sure wish the top of my head grew like that. Anyway, when I make the masters pass, the blade is rolling down from the nose and almost all the hair is cut at a different angle then the hair before it. So now it becomes very important that the blade be exceptionally sharp to handle this. Try making several light passes to see if this removes the hair better. Then once the majority of the hair is gone, and by the way, for me it still doesn't feel smooth yet, I do the fools pass. Now this is kind of scary if you haven't tried it, but here is a technique I use that gets great results without much danger of cutting your nose. Lay the sharp edge of the blade almost flat on the top of your upper lip. Apply just a little downward pressure on the blade and hold it steady. Now roll the upper lip down over your teeth and let that downward rolling motion push the hair through the blade and cut the hair. After you cut a little section, move the blade up a little and do it again until you reach the nose. Then move the blade over, and do it again. Continue this until you finish on the other side. This whole process will allow you to shave your mustach area in several passes, hopefully without causing any irritation, and you should end up with a smooth shave.

Good luck,

Ray

lips are very sensitive tissue. its possible that your lather could irritate your lip and not your neck or cheek, especially after a very close shave. would definitely say that your lip just probably isn't used to shaving yet though, though two months does seem a little long for that.

What is your technique like -- passes, direction, etc.?
On some faces, getting the right angle is very tricky
due to the nose getting in the way.

Alternatively, you could grow back the mustache and
invest in some good wax

- Scott

I dont care about BBS on my upper lip, as it's the most sensitive part of my face. I just got for a few WTG passes up there and call it a day. I could see how if you were going ATG you would see some serious irritation. If I did the fool's pass on my mug I'd regret it.

On my upper lip, I limit shaving to 1 wtg and 1 across the grain. No sense in tempting fate with the fool's pass.

I know this sounds kind of crazy but try using Doctor Tichener's antiseptic mouth wash as an after shave in that area. I've never had a problem between my nose and upper lip but I can tell you what worked a miracle on my neck. About 15 years ago, I had a friend ask me why I never grow a beard. I told him I have to use an electic razor because any other kind of razor would give me a terrible rash on my neck area and it's too hard to keep a beard trimmed with an electric. If I tried to shave a second day in a row with anything other that an electric razor, I would have about 10 to 20 bloody spots on my neck and it didn't matter what after shave I tried to use. His response was, he had the same problem and went to see a dermotologist and...yep, you guessed it, he was told to use Dr. Tichener's as after shave. I've been using it ever since without any problems, and now, I even shave with a straight razor. Just beware, it stings for a second or two and you will most likely feel a slight sensation in your eyes from the strong pepermint vapors. Give it a few seconds though, and your face will feel like you just walked into a freezer!